Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-01
CALIFORNIA FRUITS AT THE EAST.
Our CrystaJized Fruits in Highest De
mand, in Preference to Foreign.
From The New YORK Nail


From the New York NALL
California is now acknowledged to be
the fruit garden Of the United States. In
this productive State can be grown all the
fruits of which France and Spain have
heretofore had the monopoly. Finer grapes
are now produced in California than Eu-
rope has ever sent to this market, and at
prices much lower. The great abundance
of the product in the California vineyards
has encouraged growers to make, for the
American market, not only wines, but
class of raisins that even excel some of the
finest imported. From samples sent to
this city it appears almost certain that the
California raisin will drive out the Euro
pean in a very short time. Notwithstand-
ING the fact that they have to be transport
ed entirely across the continent, the eX-
pense of Transportation does not so much
increase the cost out that the dried fruit
can be laid down in this city at much
cheaper rate than the French raisin, and
tar superior in quality. California also
grows q very large-sized .prune, which in
flavor equals, even if II does not exec, he
French " Imperial" These can be brought
to New York at a cheaper first cost than the
foreign. Already the principal cities of the
West, such as Chicago, ST. Louis. and so
forth, have given up purchasing the for
eign prunes and now deal entirely with
those grown in this country. Other fruits
could be mentioned, but these servo to
illustrate the fact that home productions
are making great Roadway against the for
eign. But the newest industry arising from
the California productions has been in the
way of crystalizing traits. About Christ
mas it has been the custom among the rich
to present to their lady friends box or
basket of choice candied or crystallized
fruits, but as these were imported from Eu-
rope the cost was so great as to be beyond
the means OF the masses. Many a young
man would have been pleased to have
made such a present to his ladv-love had
his purse been plethoric enough for the
purpose. Crystallized fruits were too high
in price, and he had to cOnfne his expen-
ditures TO candies of less aristOcratic char
acter. This, however, is now likely TO be
remedied by home industry j. NJ. Chap
man of this city has just returned from Cal
ifornia, and told reporter for the naz and
Express that within sixty miles of San Fran
cisco can be produced as fine crystallized
fruit as ever was imported from France
He has had an opportunity while travelling
through the State Of visiting the fruit orch
ards, and there saw some fine specimens of
erystallized aprieots, plums, oranges, cher
ries and other fruit grown in that State.
Although the enterprise is yet in its in
fancy, he saw enough to warrant him in
believing that these candied fruits would
ultimately drive out the French. In point
of excellence in taste they are, in his opin-
ion not only equal, but superior, to the
imported goods. And with regard to price
they can even now be laid down in New
York twenty five per cent. cheaper, and, in
course of time, at one-half the cost of the
French. Besides which, the supply of the
fruits in California is so abundant that the
crvstallizers can have the pick of produc-
ton without materially enhancing the cost.
Many dealers here have ordered the crys-
tallized fruit from California in bulk, and
by putting them up in homemade fancy
boxes, form as tasty present to a lady as
anything yet brought to New York from
the other side of the Atlantic. And, what
is more pleasing, this can be done at price
which will bring the articles within the
reach of persons of even moderate means
without being heavy tax on their re-
sources. Many of the uptown retail dealers
in these fancy candied fruits said to the
Mda and Express reporter that the preju-
dice against American productions in favor
of foreign is dying out. The excellence of
the article is now more sought after than
the mere fact that they have been imported
from abroad. Purchasers had found out,
in many instances. that native productions
had been passed off as foreign, and charged
for accordingly. Preference is, therefore,
now given to the home productions, if
equal in quality to the imported, and, as a
natural result, the dealer sells his goods for
what they are.